Updated: September 24, 1999, 2:22 PM ET

War Room: Browns at Ravens

Share
The War Room
Browns offense vs. Ravens defense

It is hard to pinpoint a specific person or scheme that is holding this team back from running the football, but the truth is that the Cleveland Browns have the league's worst rushing attack, and probably will for the duration of the season. Do not be fooled by the 80-net yards rushing on Sunday, because 40 of those yards came when QB Tim Couch was running for his life.

One of the biggest problems the Browns face when running the football is that teams are going to come after the rookie quarterback and force him to make his reads and deliver the ball under pressure. This means that teams usually have an extra man close to the line of scrimmage that is headed upfield in pursuit. When the defense recognizes the play as a run, it's at that point that the defense has the numbers and the offensive line is undermanned. What many offensive coordinators do in these kinds of situations is run draw or screen plays to counter the upfield pursuit and catch the defense out of position.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider